Take Me Away
by city-of-wonder
Summary: "That's when he heard it. A sharp, small noise - like something bouncing off glass. He froze. He heard it again and looked towards the window, the curtains shut. He crept over and spread open the blinds. His jaw went slack with surprise at who was standing on his lawn. Dean." Roadtrip Fic, Human AU.
1. Prologue

**A/N: Just a quick note before you start reading, this story is set in Canada, so the legal drinking age is 19 and the university system is probably a bit different than the States. **

Prologue

_"Take me away, A secret place, A sweet escape, Take me away, _

_Take me away, To better days, Take me away, A hiding place…" _

Castiel lay back on his bed, humming along to the music blaring from his headphones, eyes closed, his air conditioner blowing cool air in a soft, almost pouring stream. While he generally despised repetitive songs, this was a guilty pleasure – a form of therapy that he desperately needed seeing how the past week had gone by. Now was the time to relax, to de-stress and he planned on doing just that. Of course, he knew that most likely wasn't going to happen for long when he factored his family into the situation.

And with that thought, Michael burst in through his room's door, with Gabriel hot on his heels. Before Castiel knew it, his headphones were snatched out of his phone and ears.

He sighed and sat up. "Yes?"

"This room is glacial." Michael said. "Aren't you cold?"

Castiel shrugged and Gabriel rolled his eyes. "We're going out."

Nodding, Castiel replied, trying to avoid the inevitable. "You have my permission."

Gabriel smirked. "You're coming with us."

He groaned. "I just came back from my last exam!"

"Exactly. Look, it'll just be us, Jo and Dean," Michael answered. "You have the rest of the summer to do whatever."

Castiel was relieved to hear it wasn't a party. Now, Castiel wasn't anti-social, or a party-hater. It was more so the kind of parties that Michael and Gabriel liked to frequent. "I'll come."

Gabriel clapped and snickered. "I told you mentioning Dean would work."

Michael shook his head with a slight smile as Gabriel sauntered out, then followed him with a 'we'll be waiting downstairs', leaving a sputtering Castiel to get ready.

ooo

Castiel fingered the collar of his navy and grey plaid button-up. Plaid because he knew Dean liked plaid. He didn't know Dean very well, however. Aside from a serious nod, or a joke made between him and Michael or Gabriel, Castiel didn't really hear much from him. After all, Dean was Michael and Jo's friend, and Castiel was the youngest in the group. Not to mention he had just barely graduated high school now that exams were over and those three were all going into their second years of university. He hadn't had many chances to interact with Dean - despite how much he wanted to do so.

As the Novak car pulled into the parking lot that separated Castiel's highschool from a baseball diamond and bleachers, his eyes searched for the black Impala that exuded the same air of untouchability as it's owner. Dean and Jo were in front of the car, and Jo talked animatedly, Dean nodding along, a beer in hand, but as the Novaks stepped out of their car, Jo ran over hugging them all.

Castiel always felt at ease around Jo - she was one of those friendly people you felt you could trust even without really knowing them. He hugged her back, and as they separated, she turned him towards the bleachers. "So, have you decided where you're going to go this fall?"

"No…" Castiel craned his head over his shoulder to see if Dean and his brothers were following. "Not really… I'm trying to decide between my top two – Queen's and McGill."

"Oh wow! What are you going for?" Jo asked, as they climbed their way to the top of the bleachers. Sitting down, he answered, "A double major in Philosophy and Psychology."

As he says this, Dean, Michael and Gabriel make it to the bench. Jo nodded slightly. "That's a lot of work, huh?"

Gabriel rolled his eyes, breaking into the conversation, "And Law school after that! Cassie here is a bit of an overachiever."

Castiel grimaced slightly and looked down at the hem of his shirt and muttered, "Don't call me that."

"Law school, huh?" Dean voice seemed to run through Castiel like a shock.

Castiel's head shot up and he nodded slightly in Dean's direction, meeting sage green eyes that caught the sun in ways Castiel never would have imagined eyes could.

"Sam wants to go to Law School too. What kind of Law?" Dean asked.

"Oh, I… um… not sure. Not corporate. Maybe criminal law, you know, prosecution? Or civil law, probably in human rights? I have 4 years to decide." Castiel replied.

"True, true." Dean responded, taking another swig of beer. "Speaking of universities… Seeing as you're all here, I'll just break the news. I, uh, dropped out."

"What?" Jo gasped. "Why?"

Simultaneously, Michael and Gabriel said, "Woah…"

"What about your Dad?" Michael added.

"That's the thing… Dad and what he wants - I can't do it anymore. The whole studying like crazy and doing a 9 to 5? Doesn't cut it. And I'm not like Sammy. I can't put in all those extra years just for money like he would. I only went because… I gotta do my own thing now." Dean shrugged, chugging down the rest of the beer.

Jo patted Dean's knee. "Whatever you feel is best, Dean. But... what _are_ you going to do?"

Dean shrugs again, and that's what does Castiel in. How does someone not have a plan for two months down the road? Aside from the small blip of what path of law he wanted to take, Castiel had his whole life planned out, when to get married by, when he wanted children, when he'd start his own firm, his retirement plan of becoming a professor… And yet, there were people like Dean, who just dropped out of university and shrugged. Shrugged!

"How do you not know?" Castiel blurted incredulously.

Dean looked at him for a moment, then answered slowly, almost cautiously. "You never know what life is going to throw at you anyway. I figure; might as well go with the flow."

Castiel bit the inside of his cheek. He was thinking. He thought hard for the rest of the time on the bleachers while the others chatted. When it came time to leave, he absentmindedly hugged Jo, and as he came to shake hands with Dean and their gazes met, Castiel realized he had never been more perplexed by anyone in his whole life. And he wanted to know more.

**A/N: So, this is my first Supernatural fanfiction! I'm really excited to be writing it and I hope you liked reading it so far :) I'm on break so the first chapter might even be posted later today - thanks for reading! **

**- city-of-wonder**

**PS. The lyrics at the start are from the song Pocket Full of Sunshine by Natasha Bedingfield and do not belong to me in anyway, and same goes for SPN and the characters from the show :)**


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Castiel loosened the tie around his neck. Men's formal clothes were clearly not made for summer – maybe he should've taken the ride Gabriel had offered him rather than opting to walk home. Then again, he remembered the bout of motion-sickness he had had after the last time and shook his head to himself. Better to be itchy and sweaty in a suit than throwing up in one.

Days had passed, the summer heat beginning to reach its peak. Castiel was now an official high school graduate and the knowledge that he was done with that phase of life only remained exciting for so long. Relaxing had quickly turned to boredom, and it was too early to begin packing for university, so he found himself slightly restless. Doing nothing was something Castiel Novak hadn't done since he was a baby, perhaps – he couldn't do it now. So he had rung up as many of the law firms in the area and persistently offered himself up for any job possible, finally getting a call back for an interview.

Now, with his suit jacket over his arm, he was already thinking about how long it would take them to get back to him. He also cast the occasional envious glance at people in light pants and breezy shirts with slushies or ice cream cones in hand. As he was just barely five minutes into what he estimated to be a thirty minute walk, he heard a faint and familiar rumbling grow louder as he turned to the source. The sleek Impala rolled to a stop the passenger window a step in front of him. Said passenger window rolled down quickly as Castiel came by it.

"Hey, Castiel!" Dean called out. Castiel stopped and looked over. "Hello, Dean."

"Where are you headed?" Dean asked.

"Oh... just home." Castiel answered, trying to ignore the fact that a bead of sweat was making it's way down his temple in the most irritating of ways.

Dean leaned over and pushed the passenger door open. "Get in - I'll drop you."

"Are you sure? So long as it isn't an inconvenience." Castiel answered, desperately wanting to jump at the request, but the urge to be polite prevailed.

"Yeah, I'm going in that direction anyway."

Castiel slid into the passenger seat, shutting the door carefully, knowing how protective Dean was of the car. As he put on his seatbelt, he didn't notice the way Dean eyed him.

ooo

Unbeknownst to Castiel, Dean was not actually 'going in that direction'. In fact, Dean needed to be going in practically the opposite direction. While waiting at the signal to take his turn, Dean had noticed the formally clad youth make his way down the sidewalk in polished black shoes that got more scuffed with each step. Dean's curiousity had overwhelmed him - why was the guy in a God damned suit in 32 degree weather? So when the signal went green, Dean turned right rather than left, earning a few aggravated honks of car horns by various cut off drivers, and had pulled up by Castiel. Dean decided that there was something unfairly attractive about his angular jaw and the light hint of stubble that sprinkled it. As Castiel faced forwards in his seat, Dean looked away and put the car into drive.

ooo

"What's with the suit?" Dean's voice was less gruff, more casual.

Castiel pulled his collar away from his skin with a bit of resistance as it stuck to him with sweat. "Oh, this? Job interview. I applied for an internship at a law firm."

"You don't sit still, do ya?" Dean chuckled, adjusting the air conditioner so it was higher.

"I find it rather hard to be inactive, yes." Castiel nodded, tilting his head up so the cold hit his neck. The sun stabbed into his eyes, reflected off the hood of the Impala.

"Dean… May I?" Castiel questioned, gesturing to the sunguard.

Dean nodded."Sure. How'd the interview go then?"

"Pretty good, I got along with the interviewer… I hope I hear from them soon," Castiel replied, pulling down the sunguard. As he did so what seemed to be a card fell to his feet.

Dean glanced over, "Don't worry about it."

But, Castiel was already reaching for it, and as he picked it up he realized it was a postcard. It depicted a curving highway stretching over a lush green, rolling landscape. The sky was a light powdery blue, with clouds, just a few shades lighter than the sky itself. In the foreground, a golden haybale rested on a slope that led to a small, dark blue lake, with patches that held the sky's reflection. On that lake was a dock and some small shacks. Further back, small houses clumped together against a horizon of trees.

All around the amazingly bright and beautiful photo ran a black border, as if a photo had been set on a black mat. Under the picture, white letters popped reading: 'PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND, CANADA'.

Suddenly, Castiel thought back to Grade 5, learning about the provinces. Prince Edward Island, known as PEI for short, the small Canadian island province in the east. Later, in Grade 9 Geography, this knowledge was expanded on. Capital: Charlottetown (later in Grade 10 History, he learned, some important historical meeting took place there, where papers were signed and it helped Canada come together as a nation). They were famous for their potatoes - a lot of Canadian potatoes came from there - and their seafood. Also famous for their red soils (due to high iron level, he remembered) and golf courses. He'd never seen any pictures of PEI while learning this all. It had been a sheet, and the smallest information box had been for PEI, so he had assumed it was the most insignificant.

Yet as he looked as the well worn postcard, he felt a sense of fascination, of wonder, at the range of colors, at how peaceful it looked. He ran his thumb over the crumbling corners and the white cracks in the card that testified to how many times it must have been handled.

ooo

Dean warily gazed at Castiel every few seconds for the couple of minutes Castiel stared at the card in complete silence, turning it over at one point, then front up again. He had such an intensely pensive look on his face, and Dean could tell he was biting the inside of his cheek. While Dean wanted to know what he was thinking, what those light eyes were taking from that picture, he didn't want to break into the state of calm Castiel seemed to exude at that moment.

Finally, Castiel's eyes shifted from the card and up to Dean. "Have you been here?"

Dean shook his head. "Nope. One day, maybe."

"Where did you get it?"

Dean glanced over for a moment but then back at the road. "At a library. I was a kid, and Dad forced me to take Sammy to the library. I saw one of the books on the shelves had something sticking out of it. This was in there. I was… thirteen. I took it out and I dunno, I guess I liked it. It was something I'd never seen. Hell, it took me a while to remember where PEI even was. I keep it there, as a sort of reminder that I want to go there, someday. "

Despite the sun still being there, Castiel placed the card where the sunguard would close on it, and shut the guard, feeling like the card should be where it belonged.

"I would love to go. I don't really know much about there." Castiel frowned a bit, clearly a great oversight on his part, seeing as it might just be the most beautiful place in Canada, if the postcard accurately represented the province as a whole. "But it seems… amazing."

"Like a place to get away." Dean added, quietly.

"What is there to get away from?" This was another one of those moments that made Castiel wish he could climb into Dean's head, and see what he was seeing.

ooo

"Expectations, society, responsibilities, people, feelings, all the rules…" Dean gulped. Why was he doing this? He barely knew Castiel, and yet, the way he looked at Dean made him want to tell him everything. There was an innocent inquisitiveness in his expression that set Dean at ease, made him feel almost compelled to answer.

Castiel's expression didn't change as if he didn't really understand.

Dean felt incredulous. "You've never just felt like running away from everything?"

"Well…" Castiel looked down at his hands. "Not really."

Both barely noticed the fact that Dean had pulled into Castiel's driveway, and Dean shut the engine rather subconsciously. "Seriously?" Dean pressed, turning in his seat to face Castiel.

Castiel shook his head, eyes defensive now. "No, I haven't. I guess I've felt bored… irritated… But just leaving is impulsive."

"You've never wanted to be somewhere else?"

Castiel murmured, "No."

Dean leaned back into his seat, his head tipping back. He couldn't believe it. "Well…"

ooo

"Dean…" Cas began, then trailed off. He didn't know what to say. He felt like he'd disappointed Dean in some way, like Dean had been asking for an answer that Castiel couldn't give.

It wasn't completely true. While he was perfectly content with his life, he didn't find it interesting. His life was boring, and Castiel thought he himself was boring. There were people like Dean, who were enigmas, who lived life on their toes, always acting and reacting, but Castiel wasn't one of them. He had often wished that something would happen, something miraculous, something like a flash of light, that would give him something to make him interesting too. Something crazy, something beautiful - something different. He wished for change as much as it terrified him. So, no, he didn't want to be somewhere else; he wanted to be someone else.

"I'm sorry." Castiel settled on an apology.

Dean barked out a laugh. "What are you apologizing for?" He turned to look at him, a slight smirk on his face.

Castiel - while slightly taken aback by his change in mood - replied, "Well… I don't know. You seemed… down."

"Nah. I'm fine." Dean shrugged. "Anyways… We're here."

"Right." Castiel nodded, gathering his jacket from his lap. He slid out of the car, and Dean rolled down the passenger seats window again, once Castiel shut the door.

"Thanks for the ride." Castiel said, leaning in towards the window to see Dean.

"Any time. Keep in touch, Cas." Dean nodded.

"Bye." Castiel replied, as Dean put up the window and reversed his way out of the driveway.

As Castiel made his way into his house, he realized… Dean had called him 'Cas'. Not Castiel. 'Cas'. His heart pounded as he walked in, and his mother's words bounced off his ears as he tossed his jacket on the bannister of the stairs that led upstairs, and walked into the kitchen where she was.

"Castiel? Castiel, honey, are you alright?" She asked.

"Yeah, Mom." He nodded, "I'm just fine."

"How did the interview go, sweetie?" She asked, putting a baking tray with bruschetta into the oven, while pasta boiled on the stovetop, the scent of basil in the air.

"Good, good," Castiel answered, grabbing himself a glass of water, overheated again, this time as a result of Dean.

"I thought Gabriel wasn't driving you home, how'd you get back so fast?" She asked, leaning on the counter across from him.

"Dean caught me on the way. Gave me a ride back." His cheeks felt warm, he knew he was probably going pink.

This was confirmed as his mother raised her brows, but thankfully she didn't comment.

"Anyway… I think I'm gonna take a shower and change," Castiel stated. "I'll be back down for dinner."

"Alright." She turned back to the stove to hide a smile, but Castiel didn't quite miss it as he himself turned for the stairs.

ooo

It was now nearly midnight and Castiel was in his room. He thought back on his mother bringing up Dean at dinner, and how he gave Castiel a drive, and Michael and Gabriel's surprise. Apparently, Dean didn't let most people in his car, let alone let them ride shot gun. It was quite embarrassing, especially when his Dad got curious, leaning in intently and asking for more information about who this Dean was. That was Castiel's cue to inhale his spaghetti and excuse himself as quickly as possible. Meanwhile, Michael explained he was a highschool friend, conveniently leaving out the fact that Dean had dropped out of university.

Now Castiel was in his pajamas, under his blanket, laptop resting slightly against his stomach and against his thighs due to his awkward position against his headboard. He had one headphone in, listening to music as he scrolled down the pages of a psychology journal, but he didn't take it in.

That's when he heard it. A sharp, small noise - like something bouncing off glass. He froze. He heard it again and looked towards the window, the curtains shut. He crept over and spread open the blinds. His jaw went slack with surprise at who was standing on his lawn.

Dean.

**A/N: Sorry this chapter is so late X| Life happens and all that jazz... I realize it's going a bit slow right now, but next chapter is when they hit the road and reach their first stop! ****Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed it :)**

**- city-of-wonder **


End file.
